North Florida Music Hall of Fame

Born Roland Kent LaVoie in Tallahassee, 1943; moved to Winterhaven, where he played in teen band The Rumors alongside Gram Parsons and Jim Stafford. In 1971, with the assistance of producer Phil Gernhard, he would break through as a solo soft-rock act on Big Tree/Atlantic Records with “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo”; two or three more top-ten hits would follow. He also co-produced (with Gernhard) hits for former Rumors bandmate Jim Stafford (“Spiders and Snakes”). Later signed with Elektra; relocated to Nashville; retired from performing in 1998.